Wholesale Inflation Surges to 11.3 Percent

Inflation at the wholesale level climbed 11.3% in June compared with a year earlier, the latest painful reminder that inflation is running hot through the American economy.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that the U.S. producer price index, or PPI — which measures inflation before it hits consumers — rose at the fastest pace since hitting a record 11.6% in March.

Last month’s jump in wholesale inflation was led by energy prices, which soared 54% from a year earlier. But even excluding food and energy prices, which can swing wildly from month to month, producer prices in June jumped 8.2% from June 2021. On a month-to-month basis, wholesale inflation rose a substantial 1.1% from May to June.

Thursday's PPI report came a day after the Labor Department reported that surging prices for gas, food and rent catapulted consumer inflation to a new four-decade peak in June, further pressuring households and likely sealing the case for another large interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve.

Consumer prices, as measured by the consumer price index, or CPI, soared 9.1% compared with a year earlier, the biggest yearly increase since 1981.